Operating and locking mechanism for canopy doors



March 27, 1951 R F RAPE 2,546,932

OPERATING AND LOCKING MECHANISM FOR CANOPY DOORS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 1'7, 194'? INVENTOR T FRAPE March 27, 11951 R. F. RAPE OPERATING AND LOCKING MECHANISM FOR CANOPY DOORS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 17, 1947 INVENTOR ROBERT F. RAPE m, @620 4 mm ANISM March 27, 1951 R. F. RAPE OPERATING AND LOCKING MECH FOR CANOPY DOORS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 17, 1947 INVENTOR \OBERT F. RAPE Patented Mar. 27, 1951 OPERATING AND LOCKING MECHANISM FOR CANOPY DOORS Robert F. Rape, New Castle,

Fleming Steel Company,

partnership Pa., assignor to The New Castle, Pa., a

Application May 17, 1947, Serial No. 748,686

This invention relates to apparatus for operating and locking doors, particularly large doors of the canopy type such as are installed in airplane hangars and the like. These doors tilt about a horizontal aXis adjacent their upper edge.

Canopy doors for airplane hangars are large, unwieldy structures and the operation thereof presents peculiar problems. These doors may be from 20 to '75 high and 100' Wide or more. They must be light enough to permit opening without overloading the building frame but must have sufficientrigidity to be self-sustaining and capable of withstanding heavy wind loads. These requirements call for special characteristics in the mechanism for operating the door from closed, to open position and back.

" Various forms of door-operating mechanisms have been proposedbut none of those with which I am familiar is satisfactory in all respects. Most of the prior devices employ a rope and windlass for tilting the door. This form of mechanism leaves the door free and uncontrolled between fully open and closed positions so that it may be lifted by an updraft of air and then suddenly released. The doo and its operating mechanism may thus be subjected to excessive overloads. The mechanisms provided for the purpose heretofore have thus failed adequately to meet the need and it is the object of my invention, therefore, to improve generally on previously apparatus for operating canopy doors. A more specific object is to provide a door-operating mechanism which maintains positive control of the door in all positions and precludes undesired movement thereof as by wind forces. A further object is to provide automatic door-locking means effective after the door is closed to prevent it from being partly opened by wind pressure.

In a preferred embodiment of my, invention, I provide'a door leaf or panel with one or more main posts or stems extending beyond the upper edge thereof in the plane of the leaf. I employ a radius arm or strut for each post pivoted at one end on a common axis adjacent but offset from that of the door itself. The radius arms are dit posed at an oblique angle to the door when the latter is; in closed position and have guides for synchronizing rollers mounted on the posts. The radius arms have means traveling therealong for causing the synchronizing rollers to move along the guides, thus tilting the posts and the arms at the same time. The traveling means may conveniently be a 100p of a flexible tension member such as'a chain trained about sprockets adjacent the endspf each radiusarm with its ends secured known 1' 5 Claims. (Cl; 268-74) to the post. A detent on the end of each post cooperates with a pin on the radius arm to lock the door in closed position. The detent and pin move into locking engagement automatically through the action Of the synchronizing rollers as the door approaches its closed position.

A complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from, the following detailed description and explanation which refer to the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment. In the drawings,

Figure l is a vertical section through one-half of a building having the door of myinvention installed therein and serving asone side wall of the building, the door being shown in elevation, looking from the interior;

Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken along the plane of line II-II of Figure 1, showing the door and operating mechanism therefor in plan;

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken along the plane of line III-III of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an elevation of the radius arm showing the appearance thereof when looking from the right in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a diagram showing the successive stages of movement of the detent and locking pin into and out of locking engagement; and

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 3 showing the door in partly opened position.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the door of my invention is adapted to constitute one wall of a building such as an airplane hangar. As shown in the drawings, the building comprises columns in and roof trusses ll-extending therebetween with sheathing l2 and roofing I3 applied thereto in any desired manner. The building is open at one side and the; open side is adapted to be closed by a canopy door. The; door indicated generally at M is composed of one or more panels l5 through It disposed side'by side and secured together for movement as a unit. Supplemental panels I9 are disposed at each end of the row of main panels.

Each of the panels includes a lower leaf 20 and an upper leaf 2 I, the lower leaf being movable vertically on the u per leaf. For this purpose, the lowerleaf has rollers 22 traveling along posts 23 forming part of the upper leaf and the upper leaf has rollers Z lalong which travel posts 25. forming part of the lower leaf. The posts are simply beams extending upwardly from the leaves in the plane thereof. Hoisting ropes 26 securedto the lower leaf pass over sheaves 21 to drums 28-on a shaft 29.- The sheaves 21 are journaled in brackets 21a extending inwardly zontal axis adjacent the upper edge thereof. Pivot bearings 33 carried by the roof truss above the door extend downwardly :on each: side-of the:

posts 23 and pivot pins 34 extend through-Ithese bearings and the posts.

The shaft 29 is journaled in bearings secured to hangers 35 depending from girders 36 connect ing adjacent roof trusses I I. A second shaft 31 is also journaled in bearings carriedfby the. hangers 1 35. Radius arms 38 are pivoted on the shaft .31,

each arm comprising spaced cam track channels 39 having guide tracks '40 on the adjacent faces thereoffor synchronizing cam follower rollers pivoted on the posts 23 adjacent the upper end thereof. As shown in Figure 4, the posts 23 extend'between the channels of the radius arms. Idler sprocket wheels 42- are journaled' on apin 43 extending through the channels 39'adjacent their upper ends Driving sprocket wheels 44 are'ke'yed' to the shaft 32". Chains d trained around the sprocket wheels 42 and M are dead ended on a terminal fitting'46 secured to .the upper end of each post 23. When the door is in closed position, the pin 43 enters'a detent '4'! in the form ofla notch in the endiof the post '23'and locks the door against inward swinging'movement as the result of external force suchias that applied by wind'pressure.

Aimotord-rive unit dfi is provided for the'shaft '3'l fsee Figure 2). When the lowerleaf ilfiihas been lifted, it will-be'apparent' that clockwise rotation of the shaft 3! will cause the door to 1 tilt about the pivot pins 35, the upper ends'of the posts 23 being-moved clockwise by the downward pull on-the upper run ofthe chain 45. The radius arms 38 are simultaneously 'moved clockwise by the cooperation of the synchronizing rollers with the guide tracks 40. As shown" in Figure 5, the pins 43' move away from'the' detntsdl and clear the upper ends of theposts 23 because of the spacinguof'the centers of retation of theposts and arms.

Figure 6 illustrates'in solid lines the inter.- mediate position of the door and arms and, in chain lines, the fully opened position in which thedoor is almost -horizontal. The shaft 3! is also-provided with a counterbalance drum 49 '(s'ee Figure 2) from which counterweights 32lare suspended; When it is desired to close-the door, reverse rotation of 'theshaft 31 effected by the drive unit QB-"applies upward tension to the upper runofthe chains 45, thereby causing the'synehronizingrollers 4| tetr-avel back along the tracks 45, swinging the arms 38 asthey move therealong. As the door approaches vertical position, the pins 43 again reenter the detents i! andthereby hold the door-.against'inward swinging movement until the shaft 3l is again driven iii-clockwisedirection. When the door has been restored'to vertical position, thelower leaf maybe caused to descend by operating the drive unit 3il-to turn the shaft 29 in the counterclockwise direction.

I It'will be apparent from the foregoing'that the inventionprovides a door operating mechanism which maintains the tilting movement of the 'door under positive control-at all times ends.

door-locking mechanism which becomes effective automatically when the door reaches vertical position. There is thus no possibility of the door being lifted by a puff of wind as it is being opened or closed and no danger of swinging movement or vibrations of the door in closed position under variations in wind pressure: The construction of the operating mechanism is simple and presents no particular problem in construction or operation. The driving motors may be controlled by known interlocking means to insure the proper cycle of; operations in both opening and closing directions.

The'door is of sectional construction and may thus be designed for various widths. The fact that the operating'mechanism positively controls the movement ofthe door at all times, permits the door to be constructed in widths as great as 120' or more Without dangerof excessive warpage or distortion from wind variations or unequal application of operating forces, during the opening and closing movements; Although Ihave illustrated and described'a preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be understoodv that changes in the details of construction may be'made without departing from the spirit of. the invention'or the scope of the ape pended claims.

I claim:

1. Operating mechanism for a'swin'gable door, comprising a structural member extending rig idly from the door, a rigid radius arm pivoted on a fixed support spaced laterally from the door, a

wheel rotatably mounted on the free .end 'of the arm and a wheel rotatably mounted coax-ially with the pivotal axis of the arm, a flexible ten sion member extending around saidwheel's and having-it's opposite ends secured to adjacent .p'ortions of the door extension .member; reversible driving means connected to the flexible tension member, said. tension member :being drawn taut to oppose swinging movement of the door in either direction while the flexible tension member is being driven to open or close the door, and'a detent fixed to the free end of the radius'arm and adapted to engage and stop the door extension member when the door extension member is drawn by the flexible tension member against the detent, thereby limiting movement of the door in oneudirection, transferring from'the flexible ten- I beyond the'limit controlledby the detent, and

preventing the door extension from swinging so 'faralong the 'ofreeend. of the radius arm'as'to disengage the flexibletension member from" the wheel onl the free end Jof theradius arm...

2. Operatingmechanismffor av swingable comprising' a structural member. extending. rigidly from the door, a:rigid radius arm pivotedon 'a'fixed' support spaced laterallyfrom the door and having a cam track extending thereaiong, a wheel rotatably mounted 'on the free end of the arm and a wheel rotatably mounted co-axially With'the pivotal axis of. the.arm,1a flexible tension member extending around. said. wheels rand 'having'its opposite ends secured to adjacent por;

tions of the door extension member, reversible driving means connected to the'flexible tension member, said tension member being drawn taut to oppose swinging movement of the door in either direction while the flexible tension member is being driven to open or close the door, a'cam follower secured tolthe: door extension member and extending into and. travelable along the cam track in the radius arm, and a detent fixed to the free end of the radius .arm and adapted to engage and stop the door extension member when the door extension. member is drawn by the flexible tension member and is guided by the cam fol lower and cam track against the detent, thereby limiting movement of the door in one direction, transferring from the flexible tension member to the radius arm the burden of opposing air pres sures tending to push the door beyond the limit controlled by the detent, and preventing the door extension from swinging so far along the free end of the radius arm as to disengage the flexible tension member from the wheel on the free end of the radius arm.

3. Operating mechanism for a swingably mounted door comprising a member integral with the door, a rigid radius arm pivoted on a fixed support spaced laterally from the door and having a cam track extending therealong, a cam follower carried by said door member and movable along said track, supporting means connected to the radius arm at opposite ends of the cam track. a flexible tension member movably trained around said supporting means and tautly fastened to said door member, and driving means connected to the tension member to draw it around said supporting means, whereby the driving means is connected to draw the cam follower along the cam track to swing the door while the tension member holds the door against air pressures on either side of the door in each successive position of the door.

4. Operating mechanism for a swingably mounted door comprising a member integral with the door, a rigid radius arm pivoted on a fixed support spaced laterally from the door and having a cam track extending therealong, a cam follower carried by said door member and movable along said track, rotatable wheels connected to the radius arm at opposite ends of the cam track, a chain looped around said wheels and tautly fastened to said door member adjacent the cam follower, one of said wheels being a sprocket wheel mounted coaxially with the radius arm, and a reversible motor connected to drive said sprocket wheel to draw the chain around said wheels, whereby the motor is connected to draw the cam follower along the cam track to swing the door while the chain holds the door positively against air pressures on either side of the door in each successive position of the door.

5. Operating mechanism for a swingably mounted door, comprising a member integral with the doorya rigid radius arm pivoted on a fixed support spaced laterally from the door and having a cam track extending therealong, a cam follower carried by said door member and movable along said channel, a reversible motor connected to drive the cam follower along the cam track, and means on the radius arm adjacent its free end and means on the door member adapted to be brought into abutting relation through the guiding action of the cam follower as it approaches the free end of the radius arm, whereby said abutting means lock the door against further movement beyond one extreme position and thereby relieve the driving means of the burden of holding the door against said further movement.

ROBERT F. RAPE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 924,686 McCloud June 15, 1909 1,250,992 Dost Dec. 25, 1917 1,382,933 Rush June 28, 1921 1,557,645 Anderson Oct. 20, 1925 1,824,277 King Sept. 22, 1931 1,957,990 Austin May 8, 1934 2,159,040 Morgan May 23, 1939 2,178,137 Byrne Oct. 31, 1939 2,220,901 Hartbauer Nov. 12, 1940 2,222,151 Morgan 1 Nov. 19, 1940 2,244,405 Schilling June 3, 1941 2,262,976 Thomson Nov. 18, 1941 2,388,182 Bedding et a1. Oct. 30, 1945 

